A gas turbine engine generally includes a fan and a core arranged in flow communication with one another. Additionally, the core of the gas turbine engine general includes, in serial flow order, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. In operation, air is provided from the fan to an inlet of the compressor section where one or more axial compressors progressively compress the air until it reaches the combustion section. Fuel is mixed with the compressed air and burned within the combustion section to provide combustion gases. The combustion gases are routed from the combustion section to the turbine section. The flow of combustion gasses through the turbine section drives the turbine section and is then routed through the exhaust section, e.g., to atmosphere.
The turbine section typically includes a plurality of sequentially arranged stage(s) of turbine nozzles and turbine rotor blades. Each of the turbine nozzles within the various stages of turbine nozzles and each of the turbine rotor blades within the various stages of turbine rotor blades include an airfoil. These airfoils are typically actively cooled by flowing cool air into a central cavity of the airfoil and through a variety of cooling holes arranged in various locations on the airfoil. For example, an airfoil may include a variety of cooling holes at a leading edge, a variety of cooling holes along a pressure side and a suction side, and a variety of cooling holes at a trailing edge.
Given the nature of the airfoil, cooling air within the central cavity of the airfoil generally experiences the greatest pressure drop through the cooling holes at the trailing edge of the airfoil. For example, the trailing edge is desired to be as thin as possible in order to minimize aerodynamic losses. Accordingly, a section forming the trailing edge may also be relatively long, making it difficult to cast or machine small cooling holes through the length. Such a configuration may result in larger than desirable cooling holes allowing more cooling fluid flow than required or desired.
Accordingly, an airfoil having a trailing edge cooling channel with additional means for controlling an amount of airflow therethrough would be useful. More particularly, an airfoil having a trailing edge cooling channel including a metering section along with additional means for controlling an amount of airflow therethrough would be particularly beneficial.